industrial
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, of the nature of, or resulting from industry.
industrial production; industrial waste.
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having many and highly developed industries.
an industrial nation.
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engaged in an industry or industries.
industrial workers.
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of or relating to the workers in industries.
industrial training.
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used in industry.
industrial diamonds: industrial fabrics.
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noting or pertaining to industrial life insurance.
adjective
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of, relating to, derived from, or characteristic of industry
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employed in industry
the industrial workforce
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relating to or concerned with workers in industry
industrial conditions
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used in industry
industrial chemicals
Other Word Forms
- industrially adverb
- industrialness noun
- nonindustrial adjective
- nonindustrially adverb
- preindustrial adjective
- proindustrial adjective
- quasi-industrial adjective
- quasi-industrially adverb
- semi-industrial adjective
- semi-industrially adverb
- unindustrial adjective
Etymology
Origin of industrial
Explanation
Something industrial has to do with industry or factories. If you're taking a stroll alone at night, avoid the industrial areas — there aren't many people around after business hours and it can be kind of spooky. Industrial, besides meaning "having to do with industry," has also come to mean "tough," capable of withstanding wear and tear. If you're carpeting your home, avoid industrial carpet. It's easy to clean but not so soft. An industrial nation is a developed nation with manufacturing as part of its economy. If you work in the industrial sector, as opposed to say the arts sector, you work in manufacturing.
Vocabulary lists containing industrial
Eastern Europe - Introductory
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East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pair that with a recovery in industrial end markets like medicine, robotics, and power, and you get a stock that can at least hold its recent gains.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
When made on a grand, industrial scale, art requires a team, always with the risk of significant contributors feeling discarded or resentful.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
Partly to overcome sanctions, Iran in recent decades built a solid domestic industrial and manufacturing sector.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Some of the frustration has also been building around India's new labour codes - which brought together dozens of existing labour and industrial laws into four broader frameworks.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Kristina nods and starts walking toward the street entrance, and I run across the parking lot and in the side door by the industrial arts wing.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
